F263. Page Meets Screen: The Mercurial Marriage of Fiction and Film

As the adaptation success of Gone Girl recently demonstrated, some novels translate wonderfully well into feature films—though often, literary bestsellers (Snow Falling on Cedars, anyone?) fail at the multiplex. What kinds of stories best lend themselves to adaptation? What is today’s movie industry looking for in acquiring a fictional project? Los Angeles screenwriting professionals/authors discuss the evolving, often surprising symbiosis between two of storytelling’s most enduring mediums.

Moderator:

Billy Mernit is a screenwriter, instructor, WGA member, story analyst for Universal Pictures, and the author of Writing the Romantic Comedy and the novel Imagine Me and You. He is a contributing author to Cut to the Chase: Writing Feature Filmswith the Pros at the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program.

Chrys Balis is a screenwriter and WGA member whose credits include the Paramount release Asylum, adapted from Patrick McGrath’s novel of the same name. Ms. Balis has projects in development with CBS, USA Networks, and Flodyco Productions, and is a contributing author to Cut to the Chase.

Nancy Nigrosh has represented many award winning writers and directors and actors, including Academy Award–winner Kathryn Bigelow, as well as brokering film and television rights for authors; among them, Amanda Brown and Jodi Picoult. Ms. Nigrosh is also a frequent contributing writer to Indiewire.

Michael Weiss is a screenwriter, WGA member, and former vice president of production for Miramax Films whose screenplays include Journey to the Center of the Earth,Around the World in 80 Days, and The Scorpion King: Quest for Power. Weiss is a contributing author to Cut to the Chase.